The twisty, dark tangled affair
by hellsbells101
Summary: AU: The quadrangle exists from the beginning but Addison and Derek are married and Sloan is married to Meredith. The betrayal still occurs so, read and find out how these changes affect the series.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own Grey's anatomy.

AU: The quadrangle exists from the beginning but Addison and Derek are married and Sloan is married to Meredith. On top of this Meredith's drive not to be under her mothers shadow means that while she is only four years older she is already through her internship and is in her last year of residency. Richard is the father that she never had.

Chapter One: The McDream team

Derek and Mere froze in the hallway, it was ironic his brain just couldn't quite process what he was seeing. Sure, he could quote the science so could Mere standing next to him but the horror of seeing his wife in bed with his best friend was just too much. They were coming home to celebrate the first successful operation in a major neuron re-wiring that if they weren't already famous, they would be now. After all the New York, dream team was something else. Sheppard was considered the best neuro surgeon in the US. Then when you add in Meredith Grey vastly recognised as a genius who was as adapt at neuro as she was plastics. They were dubbed the New York dream team and everyone wanted to be them. After all, she was married to a world-renowned plastic surgeon, successful in her own right and gorgeous it was a great combination. He had a beautiful wife and the world at his feet so why did it feel like his world had come crashing down.

Neither said a word, instead Mere just grabbed his hand and they ran out the door. They sought refuge in the bar down the road seemed like a good idea.

The tequila was flowing, "I loved her I can't face being here."

Mere swallowed her shot, she may be small and petite but she could still drink a quarterback under the table, "Me either so let's go."

Derek was amused, "Where?"

The plan was forming in her head, "Well a hotel room. We need to sober up and I imagine Dad would be more than happy to have the New York dream working for him."

Derek smirked, "You meant that he wants to keep an eye on his baby girl."

Mere giggled, "Oh yeah on the plus side he'll probably get Mark with a great right hook."

The chief's secretary watched as bemused Dr Bailey walked through. The woman was a legendary character only a resident yet everyone feared her. Stranger still was the Chiefs behaviour today. He'd gone from quiet clam anger with his first phone call (ominous for whoever had upset the surgeon that badly) to sitting back chuckling manically.

Bailey just raised one eyebrow, "True then."

Webber played it innocently, "Is what true?"

Bailey smirked, "A friend at Mercy West said their chief was bitching for hours that you've stolen Grey and Sheppard from New York."

Webber greatly respected his resident, "Yep I did. Their best friends and are having a few marital problems so my little girl wants to come home."

Bailey chuckled, "Nepotism in reverse. It will be good for the hospital they make a good team and she can help fix cooper's screw ups in Plastics."

"Do I here grudging respect."

Bailey just smirked, "Hey she's as hard on interns as I am."

The interns Izzy, Christina, George and Alex had made it through their first week amazingly. Christina plonked herself down, "Okay anyone knows what's with the Nazi she seemed almost happy."

Izzy smirked, "its coz there is the new neuro head and Chief resident are starting tomorrow."

Alex looked up in surprise, "Who?"

Izzy stretched this all she could it was just great gossip, "The New York dream team decided to come here."

This is about to make life very interesting.

A/n Okay prologue. The bug has been caught it's my second Grey's fic


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Quick heads up while Ellis and Richard never got together properly Richard was always there for Meredith and that is why she calls him Dad.

Chapter 2: Jump? How high

They made there way into the hospital up to her fathers room. She couldn't help but smirk a little when it was clear that all the medical personnel were curious as to how she knew her way around so well.

She walked through to his outer office; the secretary greeted Meredith, "Mere I'm so glad your back, your Dad hasn't been able to stop talking about you coming back."

Mere gave a slightly sad smile, "We're glad to be here Carrie."

As no one was around Richard came out and hugged his daughter in all but blood, "Hey baby girl. How you feeling?"

A naughty mischievous grin crossed her face, one that both Derek and Richard knew very well, "Well you've given me Residents and Interns to terrorise," shaking her head, "I mean teach, those verbs always get mixed up having studied under McGregor."

Richard laughed heartily, "Somehow I feel we will remain near the top of the rankings."

Derek shared a glance, "Give us a year, maybe two we'll challenge Hopkins."

Richard heard the absolute surety in his voice and wondered if it was something that might not occur. If by some small miracle things could be resurrected between the couples then it would not be such an idle boast. That being said when Mark phoned him up earlier that day he'd chewed his son-in-law out. He made it very clear, that if he came anywhere near Seattle before his daughter was ready. Then he would break his pretty face beyond even his talents.

Webber stood up, "Let's go and introduce you to the inmates. Oh Mere I know officially your on Derek's service but if you could pinch hit on Coopers."

Derek just gave her a teasing grin, "The pressure of being a genius."

Meredith turned to Derek and maturely stuck her tongue out, "Told you we took a wrong turn I said hospital not prison."

Shaking his head and letting a hand travel to the small of her back to guide her out. She pouted, "Hey I'm the one who knows her way around here."

Every one of the surgical staff was gathered round for various reasons. Webber cleared his throat and everyone went quiet to listen to him, "Well you may have heard on the grape vine that two important positions have been filled I'd like for you to meet the new Neuro attending Dr Derek Shepperd and Dr Meredith Grey the new Chief Resident."

Polite applause followed and while the attending all left to gossip. The rest remained, Meredith took a deep breath, "Okay here's the deal interns you are at the bottom of the food chain. You will have to earn things on your merits if, that means collecting dry cleaning then you will. Your assignments will come from your Residents and their decisions are final. I will not play favourites and I don't want to hear of swaps as if this is high school. As far as I am concerned if your superiors asks you to jump. The correct response of an intern is how high? Lastly, the residents are here if things become too difficult. I expect them to be paged, especially if your patient is dying, be warned residents hate it when they are paged too late and the patient dies before they can do a damn thing."

Yang, Karev, Stevens and O'Malley had an odd sense of foreboding. They watched Bailey during the speech and her smirk only grew bigger.

The new dream team was increasingly frustrating the gossip mill. They were close to each other but incredibly professional at work, if anything else was going on they couldn't find out what. That being said, it only meant the gossipers gave free reign to their imagination.

The stories ranged from running from loved ones (closest). To they had a tryst and ran away because she was pregnant. Mere figured she knew when people heard that one as they were paying particular attention to her waistline.

It was though merely a side effect of working in a hospital. It was ironic really, because she and Derek's lives would probably make a good soap opera.

The gallery was filled to the brink surprisingly though it wasn't just filled with interns but literally all the surgical staff were in there including the chief.

"I mean I know they are good but do you think they will ever speak." Yang's voice was caustic but you could here the respect in her voice.

They all watched transfixed as they worked side-by-side carefully examining, cutting, and manoeuvring in the person's skull. All were a little confused when 20 minutes into the surgery Mere called out "bleed". All turned to the monitors that allowed them to see the same diagnostic tools that they had in the OR room. Copper snorted, "If she's so good why is she calling something that isn't there."

Webber looked to the annoying plastics surgeon, "Watch."

He spoke with such surety that all knew they were missing something. All were curious, 30 seconds after the call they saw the bleed start to form. The amazing thing was that from the time she called bleed, they had started moving everything into place so they could deal with the bleed and it took minutes to correct.

The interns stared in shock, Webber smiled when he heard Yang, "Okay they have their names McDreamy and McQueeny. Think Bailey will let be on neuro service? "

What Cooper didn't know is that what made the younger grey a legend apart from being months away from qualifying in two very demanding fields was her ability to predict these things. Whenever asked she merely replied that she grew up around surgery and maybe it was in her blood.

It wasn't an inaccurate comment, her playground was the hospital. Her mother did her best but the hospital staff became an extended family so she grew up around the hospital. It was something that mystified Harvard, she didn't have to work hard but she blitzed the classes. She never traded on her mothers name. If anything, it made the expectations worse but she still smashed them.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Big thanks to the reviews from brookany, mcanna, bright n shiny93 and superficialcynic

To be a man

Whatever the real story behind their arrival, the one thing that could not be disputed was their level of skill. The Chief was ecstatic since their arrival revenue had dramatically increased. It paid to have the medical equivalent in his hospital.

Sheppard and Grey were enjoying lunch together when she got a page, "Gotta go 911 Pit."

To her surprise, her patient was the promising Intern Dr Christina Yang. Bailey gave her an update of the interns condition, "Collapsed unexpectedly. I've ordered a full work up."

A Technician hurried in with the results; Meredith stared at the results in anger. She had listened to the hospital gossip and if it wasn't about her and Derek then it was about Burke and Yang. She was positively vibrating with anger, "Get the OB/GYN in here. Then me and you are going to have a little chat."

Once the case was properly passed on Meredith and Bailey went to hunt down Burke. Meredith looked to Bailey seeing if she had any extra knowledge of the attending, "If we were Burke where would we be hiding?"

The terse reply, "I'm sorry I can't think like a rat."

Luckily, for them they bumped into Derek. She smiled, "Derek have you seen Dr Burke?"

Derek answered but he was concerned she may have been smiling but it was not reaching her eyes.

"He is in the attending's lounge, Mere?"

Still distracted she shrugged off his concern, "I'll tell you later."

Bailey had also managed to piece together the clues; she was a good resident who was fiercely protective of her interns. As soon as Meredith opened the door, Bailey charged ahead, "You know you are a sorry excuse for a human being."

Burke was left reeling never before having been subjected to one of Bailey's attacks.

"Excuse me."

Bailey snorted, "No excuse for you."

Meredith finally spoke up, her voice was so cutting her mother would have been proud, "Dr Yang was admitted with an internal bleed due to complications from an ectopic pregnancy."

Burke sat down stunned, "I see."

If anything Mere's anger was increasing, "You know the hospital frowns on relationships between Attendings and Interns. . ."

Burke's customary arrogance came to the fore when he attacked back, "Like you aren't sleeping with Sheppard."

Bailey couldn't help wince at that statement. In fact, if looks could kill then not even Harper Avery would be able to save him.

Her voice cutting before was now pure ice, "That is neither here nor there as I'm not an Intern. Oh and Derek and me are faithful to the vows we made to others. I love my husband, now you're not smart enough to hide your relationship so, support her now."

She really needed to leave the room before she hit him. While it may serve to reduce her anger, it will also stop her from cutting. Feeling that she had said all that she needed to say she left.

She wasn't sure where she was going until she found herself in front of her Dad's office. Her mother may not have stayed with Richard but Ellis Grey had recognised the value of having a father figure in her daughter's life. She sought refuge by curling up on her Dad's sofa and tried to think through all her tumultuous thoughts.

Richard walked through and saw his baby-girl curled up on his sofa. He sat down besides her, "Mere?"She had clearly been crying, "I still love him Daddy."

His heart broke for her, "I know baby-girl. You need to decide if you can forgive him."

"How?"

He pulled her to him and let her settle under her chin, "I don't know baby-girl. I do know that Adele found it in her heart to forgive me.

The fact Adele doted on Meredith when she was younger and continued to do so was a great irony. Meredith was more than aware that she could have grown up royally screwed up if, it wasn't for the Webber's love and attention. Meredith knew what had occurred all those years ago. Her mother and Richard had had an affair. The affair had ended and her mother had left her father, as all were clearly unhappy in the marriage. Her bio-father had disappeared into the sunset though by all accounts, he was kicking around somewhere in Seattle.

Meredith as she grew up was a little in awe of Adele. She could have so easily hated Meredith but one thing she did remember from growing up was how in love Richard and Adele were. Could she be like Adele and look past Mark's infidelity, she knew there was only way she would find out.

A/N 2 I will probably blitz through the events of s1. I'm curious which story line do people most want to see?


	4. Chapter 4

Return to New York pt 1

The pair had put off returning to New York but they both knew that they would soon have to return. They were still living in the hotel and out of the suitcase of clothes, they had brought while they had been living in Seattle.

It had been a particularly stressful day and Meredith and Derek choose to unwind at Joes. The Interns watched in amazement as the pair put down pint, after pint, while playing darts.

Cristina Yang was drinking with her affectionately named friend, 'Satan Spawn', she smirked, "Just as I think she's a boring Daddy's girl, she does something to impress me."

Alex had been watching as well, admittedly, his focus was on Meredith, "It's sad, she is hot and is so gonna sleep with McBoring."

Cristina chuckled, "Bad luck you'll have to stick to nurses."

As the night progressed, the intimacy between the pair was noticed by most of the patrons of the bar. Meredith knew they were badly drunk, when they started snickering over something completely insignificant. She bound over to Joe, "Hey we need a cab back to the hotel and a bottle of Tequila."

Derek and Meredith helped each other into the taxi. Derek frowned upon seeing the Tequila. Meredith looking a little too serious, "We need to go back to New York. I'm not quite drunk enough to face that yet."

Derek sighed flopping down on the sofa, taking a swig of the bottle, "I loved her Mere but every time I think of her. I see them in my bed."

He sounded so broken and lost; it cut through her drunken haze, "I know but we need to get some stuff. No matter what, we loved them and deserve answers."

Derek could not form a coherent argument so settled for swigging the bottle once more. They kept passing the bottle and sharing more commiserations until they fell asleep together.

Meredith woke up, loving the warm embrace she found herself in. She was startled, as it hit her that she was separated from Mark. She gently disentangled herself, to grab some water and find some Aspirin for Derek. She was glad Derek was still asleep. She needed a little bit of time to sort her feelings out; she had been friends with Derek since he had been Richards's intern. She adored the Shepherd family they had sucked her in when she was in Med School. Truth be told she always liked Derek but when they met he was dating Addison and she had fallen for his best friend. Slowly but surely her head was starting to catch up with what her heart already knew. It only firmed her resolve that things need to be dealt with.

Derek had become more antsy as the week went by. Each time Mere would be able to tell from a simple look and reassure him. He knew that if she were not there, then he would not be here now. Derek found himself a block away from his own brownstone that he shared with Addie. He watched as Meredith trudged up the steps to her own brownstone that she shared with Mark.

Meredith stood in front of her former home and took a deep breath. She opened her door, to the last sight she ever wished to see.

Addison and Mark were in an embrace, Meredith felt her emotions shut down. The last time she was this bad was when her mother had died. She had found Ellis dead in her bed one morning when she went to visit. It was Meredith's belief that when she received the diagnosis of Early Alzheimer's, she simply choose to stop living.

Meredith found her voice, "I just want to collect some things." She could not help the hollow laugh that escaped her lips, "You know I was thinking of reconciliation."

Mark saw his wife standing in front of him and he could not find the words, "Mere…"

Her glare made him promptly shut up, "No." She turned to her former best friend, "Derek's collecting some stuff. It'll break him seeing this. I want your key."

She grabbed the key and stormed off to grab her stuff. She needed Derek or she would go back to the dark twisty place.

GAGAGAGAGAGGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA

She kept her emotions only in check until she reached Derek and broke down. Derek could guess what had happened, it took a lot to make Mere cry. He knew that this was the last time either would be here for a while. They would do one thing before they left though, they would visit Carolyn Shepherd.

A/N I listened to the reviews and suggestions and more people wanted Meredith/Derek. I might though at a later date write a flip side to the story assuming that the original couples reconciled.

Next up: All is explained to the Shepherd Matriarch and she shows just how wise she is.


End file.
